


In the hands of darkness

by Dusklatte



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempted intimacy, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Convenient disruptions for the plot's sake, Emotional Manipulation, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Sex, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Spoilers, Grief, Hostage Situations, Hubert getting wholesome feelings, Imprisonment, Is kidnapception a thing? 'cause that's happening-, Just general manipulation from Hubert, Kidnapping, Mind Manipulation, One-Sided Attraction, Or at least it's trying to happen because convenient divine pulses are a thing too, Post-Time Skip, Presumed deaths, Rough handling of people, Sharing a Bed, Stopping a canon death with the power of fanfictions-, They'll start to fall for each other... soon..., and I swear I don't intend to let Claude suffer for too long ;n;
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2020-12-13 20:04:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21003398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dusklatte/pseuds/Dusklatte
Summary: Byleth is feeling disgusted with herself as she battles at Gronder Field for the sake of the Alliance and the Church, cutting down her former students. However, she finds herself being given no other option but to keep pressing on...





	1. Fires at Gronder

**Author's Note:**

> So... I kinda had this idea for a while, but I've only just started writing it out... And I've been wanting to write something Hubert/Byleth for a while because he was my Black Eagles route husband... But at the same time I'm far too loyal to the Golden Deer, so... Hence this mess of an idea lmao

Byleth felt disgusted with herself. What felt like a mere few months ago, she was teaching her current enemies – they were just students, unfamiliar with the horrors of war and combat. Now she was squaring off against them, having no choice but to cut them down. She had already cut down Bernadetta, and the tears which fell down her face as she slumped down to the ground had filled her with a disgusting emotion which made her stomach churn, and her heart ache. Claude had told her that it was guilt… something which people were rarely free from nowadays.

After that, Byleth had held back from the front lines. It was partially on Claude’s orders, but also because the feeling within her gut was mentally tearing her to shreds. When possible, she would pull out a sword when the members of the Adrestian army would manage to sneak past the main body of the army to incapacitate their healers, mages and archers. Those people were unknown to her, so she felt no guilt in cutting them down.

Familiar voices could also be heard from the distance, her body freezing up when the voices turned into bloodcurdling screams. Fortunately, none of them came from those in the army which she was fighting for.

After what felt like hours, Byleth noticed that the surroundings were beginning to darken… Clearly it was getting late. The battle would likely go on into the night.

The horrific burning smell which filled her nostrils afterwards made her realise that this was far from the case. It was still day, but somewhere in the battlefield… there was fire. She could smell both flesh and foliage burning, the smell reminding her of the state she had last seen Remire Village in. It brought forth the fear that those people who worked with Tomas and Monica – No, Solon and Kronya – the ones who had _murdered _her father were now present.

As much as Byleth didn’t want to be the one who killed her former students, she would much rather kill them quickly than allow them to die a long, torturous death with their clothes singed to their bodies and flesh burning away from their bones.

As smoke began to fill the area around her, Byleth had to cover her nose and mouth with her free hand so as to not choke and lose consciousness. It was difficult navigating through the thick trees and their branches which felt like claws grabbing at her as she did this.

Once free from these trees, she had reached a bridge which crossed over a river. It was easier passing over that, for the smoke didn’t seem to linger as much over the fast-flowing water. She kept a firm grasp of her sword in the process, on the unlikely occasion she would encounter an enemy here, but it seemed as though her opponents had other ideas.

What appeared to be a barrage of flaming barrels were passing through the air. They were intending to set fire to the entire battlefield… Meaning that the back lines were no longer safe for their distant attackers and healers. She was honestly glad that she was no longer there, but she prayed for Flayn, Shamir, Ignatz, and Marianne to have escaped before it was too late.

Returning to check on them was also impossible. Once she had completely crossed the bridge, one of the barrels had landed central on the wooden slats. It was in flames and collapsing into the river within moments… Leaving her only one direction to go in – forwards.

As she advanced, Byleth began to notice horrific scars decorating the landscape. This, however, was not as a result of fire. She had seen this before, when Lysithea would be engaged in battle. These patched of dead grass, smouldering bushes, and petrified bodies impaled by dark energy was a result of dark magic being used…

Her suspicions were confirmed when all of a sudden, dark tendrils burst out of the ground around her, and grabbed hold of her limbs and wrapped around her throat. Despite the heated surroundings, the dark magic had a horrific chill to it. Her hand grew numb, and her sword fell down to the ground with a thud. She watched as the red glow which surrounded it slowly went out, her body not responding as she tried to recover it.

After another minute or so of struggling and straining to free herself from the grasps of the dark magic, she heard a slow clap and a deep, menacing chuckle. “My my… It seems my trap has caught a little deer...”

Already, her body was feeling drained, but Byleth still attempted to face the person who was now approaching her. They were… dark. Her blurring vision didn’t help this, but she knew for a fact they were wearing clothes which were black.

A hand which felt like a burning hot poker compared to the chill in her body took hold of her chin quite roughly, her head being tilted up as a result. “And not just any deer either, it seems… Good evening, Professor.”

_That voice… It was so familiar, so… so familiar…_

“H… ubert...”

“That is indeed my name, Byleth. Do not wear it out.” His laugh sent further chills down her spine as the dark magic keeping her rooted to the spot dissipated, leaving her body to fall down limply, it now only being held up by Hubert’s grasp of her chin. “I have to say… We have been seeking you out for over five years. Five long years… Yet it seems you disappeared without a trace. But now, here you are… And with those imbeciles of the Alliance, nonetheless. Were you hiding with that foolish Claude? Or did you cower away with that commoner who licked your father’s boots?”

Byleth’s hand was trembling as she tried to clench her fist, but she was void of energy and her hand quickly fell still. “No...”

“You are so fortunate that I believe that you are worth much more to us alive than dead. Now, why don’t you get some rest, Professor...”

Hubert cast a spell then, and watched as Byleth gasped in pain, her face jarring, before her eyes shut. He frowned at the way she seemed so tense… Those fools of the Alliance really must have been overworking her. At least with _him, _and with Lady Edelgard… She may finally have a chance to live in a world where she isn’t forced to fight, especially at the hands of Claude… No doubt he had a few malicious schemes planned, with Byleth being used as leverage for the Church to cooperate, and her being exploited to use these apparent divine powers she possesses.


	2. Unwanted change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle at Gronder Field is over... And the Church and Alliance army notice that something isn't right.
> 
> A familiar face has the answer they don't want.

After the battle, the combined Alliance and Church gathered quite some distance away from Gronder Field in an attempt to examine their losses. It was beyond fortunate that the vast majority of key members of the army had survived.

“Right… So, from what we are aware of, the Empire has retreated for now. Edelgard is wounded, and clearly escaped to live another day and drag this war out for longer,” Claude began to brief everyone who had gathered, his lips pursed together. “They suffered heavy casualties, many of which self-inflicted due to the flaming attacks which they initiated. This was also helped by the army led by Dimitri himself targeting them.”

Seteth was nodding along, but his eyes were scanning over the people who had gathered to listen in. Many people were badly injured, and some were fortunate enough to get away with only a few scrapes and burns. He had also gone to the tents where people grievously wounded were being tended to, in order to see who would be attending Claude’s speech.

“We were… very fortunate to have so few casualties. But… Something doesn’t feel right. Like there are people missing...” Claude now had his eyes closed, arms crossed, and his foot was tapping against the coarse dirt.

For a moment, Seteth hesitated. He had a feeling that he knew what was bothering Claude, and didn’t know whether to say it or not. The unease between everyone was enough of a push to make him speak out his concern. “Byleth is absent… She wasn’t counted amongst those who left the battlefield,” he stated, his words bringing out a blanket of silence. “She isn’t in the medical tents. She was not with the battalions. Nor is she here. She may be-”

Claude tensed up, and held up a finger to stop Seteth speaking. “No… No, I don’t want to consider it. Teach can’t be one of the fallen. She’s far too strong to fall here. We’ve only just gotten her back after five years of her being missing!”

There were a few panicked whispers for a few moments, before there was a loud snapping of branches in the distance, approaching the army. Those who could grabbed hold of their weapons, poised ready to strike if this was an enemy approaching.

“She isn’t dead. That woman’s lapdog snatched her from the battlefield...” There was a deep growl as finally some branches parted, and a large figure covered in a plethora of wounds emerged, alongside a few others. “That bastard incapacitated her and left behind this.” Jaws dropped at the sight of Dimitri, and him tossing the Sword of the Creator down onto the ground.

Claude tightened his grasp of Failnaught, and despite Seteth and Hilda attempting to stop him, he marched straight over to the King of Faerghus. “You’re saying that _Hubert _kidnapped Teach? That couldn’t be possible, she was on the back lines!”

Before Dimitri could dare respond in a similarly enraged manner to Claude, Ignatz spoke up. “A- Actually, she did advance on at one point… When the fires started. She said that she would rather cut down the former Black Eagles than let them burn to death in the fires. I tried to follow her with Flayn, but the fires damaged the bridge between us and her...”

Claude's eyes were wide, his hands shaking as he processed what had been said. 

There was a heavy silence for a few moments, but it was followed by a loud, booming cackle which sounded borderline psychotic. “So… You now have as much reason as I to seek the end of this vile Empress and her lackeys...”

* * *

* * *

There was a quiet breeze going through the small room located in the imperial palace in Enbarr. The windows were opened wide, and the skies were calm and quiet as the wind continued to blow. There was a set of black curtains in front of the window, and below the window, a large bed with matching black bedsheets.

To one side of the bed was Linhardt. He had been called in to tend to the injuries of the one lying in the bed. To the other side was Hubert, keeping a watchful eye upon the sleeping figure.

“Hubert… Why did you bring her here? If she was fighting for the Alliance, you’ve likely aggravated them...” Linhardt held his hand up over Byleth’s scraped and burned wrist, a slight white glow between his fingers as he cast some white magic to heal the wounds.

“Hmph. There are many reasons why the Professor being here can bring about an advantage to Lady Edelgard and her cause. All I am willing to divulge is that it was essential we removed her from Claude’s presence – his scheming has turned to outright manipulation of the Professor.”

Linhardt sighed as he heard just how agitated Hubert sounded when talking about Claude, before finishing off what he was doing by carefully applying a gauze to a burn on the back of Byleth’s hand. “There… Her injuries should be tended to now… Her hand might need checking in a few hours, but if she rests she should heal quickly...” He then stood up, and yawned. “I feel that I need a rest now, that was more healing than I have done in a while...”

With that, Hubert was left alone in the room with Byleth. He went over to the door and used a key to lock it, knowing that only Edelgard had the only other key to the room. It meant that he could keep an eye on Byleth without any disturbances, and if she were to awaken and be caught under the false desire to go running back to Claude, her only route out would be through the window… Which would lead to a plummet to her death. Fortunately, he had fail-safes to stop her from trying to escape.

Alas, she would not be waking up for now. The magic which he used to make her fall asleep would last for six hours, and it had only been a mere four. Hubert decided to make the most of his time by completing paperwork at his desk. After all – this _was _his room and had everything he needed to be completely self-sufficient for a time.

It was all just a waiting game now…


	3. Rope-bound ankle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth wakes up from her sleep, but her body feels far from rested.

It was about an hour past nightfall when Byleth was finally able to rouse herself from her sleep. She felt completely drained, as though her sleep had been restless – almost artificial.

She couldn’t remember when she had fallen asleep, but all that she knew was that she had. It unsettled her...

What also felt horrible was a stinging feeling in her hand. She used this moment to wearily open her eyes, and raise her arm to see what was wrong. She bolted upright in panic when she realised that there were red, blotchy burns as well as bandages where she would normally have worn her gauntlet on her arm... The heat must have made the metal hot, and in turn burned her skin.

What made things worse was that the burned arm was the one she would use a sword with... If it couldn’t heal properly, would she even be able to hold a weapon again?

After a few moments of taking in the state of her arm, she then started to look at her surroundings. The room was filled with a small amount of moonlight coming in through a crack in the curtains behind her... and the room was dark. She could just about see some of the furniture though.

She was on a large bed, perhaps more than twice the size of the one she used at Garreg Mach. That was the first sign that she wasn’t where she was meant to be. There was also a chest of drawers, and three doors... one was open, and led into another room. She could hear somebody in there. The other two were closed... presumably one led to outside. There was also a desk, with stacks of books and paperwork, highlighted by the pale moonlight.

_Amongst the books was her father’s journal, which she refused to part with._

She did her best to move off the bed to recover the book, but instead found that something was stopping her. In particular, stopping one of her legs.

In a panic, she threw the unfamiliar bed sheets aside with her unbandaged arm, before her eyes widened. There was rope around one of her ankles... which in turn was bound to one of the bed posts.

Whoever had her clearly intended to keep her here.

Her Hand went straight to her waist, intending to pull out the dagger which she normally held there. Then she realised that said dagger was resting beside Jeralt’s journal.

For that matter, she then realised that she was missing _a lot _of her belongings. Aside from the journal and her dagger, she was missing her boots, armour, coat... essentially everything except for her shorts and shirt.

Whoever had her clearly knew that she would want to escape, and stripped her of anything she could use to do so, and intended to use the few sentimental items she had as leverage by having them in sight, but out of reach.

Then she remembered.

She had fallen into a trap set on Gronder Field. A dark magic trap that had killed many others. Yet she survived... and...

_Hubert von Vestra._

_He was the one who was keeping her here._

_She was a hostage of the empire. _

For what was the second time in her life, she shed a tear. The tears were not for herself though, they were for Claude and his former classmates, the fighters of the army which she was meant to be a key part of, that she was meant to help lead...

_They had lost her for five years to that damn cliff, and they had now lost her again... this time to the Adrestian Empire. _

Frustratingly, Byleth knew exactly what Claude would do... he would do anything to see her returned safely. Even if it meant... surrendering the war. Handing the Alliance over to Edelgard. Even becoming a prisoner himself.

“So... You finally woke up. I am surprised, Professor. I did not realise you must have had a weakness to dark magic. The spell was simply meant to put you under for six hours, yet you have been unconscious for eight... “

Byleth’s eyes shot towards the open doorway, a tall figure stood by the wooden frame. She already knew that it was Hubert, so she growled quietly.

_No wonder her sleep was restless, she was forced into it by him._

“Now now, no need to act like an animal.”

“You've got me tied up like one.”

“So I have. But that is not to keep you prisoner, it is to make you rest. Clearly that slave-driver Claude was not giving you the opportunity to do so, instead dangling you above the Church of Seiros like bait to force their allegiance.”

Byleth tended up then, before shaking her head. The Claude which Hubert was seeing was not the Claude she knew. Her Claude was a strong, capable man who would weigh up all of his options before choosing the ones which would result in the least casualties. He would tell people not to die, and instead retreat when they were in a difficult situation. He even told her to do that on Gronder Field... to hold back after she had killed Bernadetta because of her crushing guilt-

_Because... he needed her alive... as she was Rhea’s chosen successor... the only reason Seteth, Flayn, Cyril and all the other members of the Church stayed at Garreg Mach... _

_No._

Byleth shook her head as the thought of Claude using her to keep the Church on his side began to invade her mind.

_Hubert was just trying to sow the seeds of distrust. To get her to side with the Empire._

“No. He wouldn’t do such a thing. He would never use someone like that-"

“Really? Because it seems as though your father would disagree with you...”

Something in Byleth snapped as Hubert spoke of her father. She could only see red as he picked up the journal from the desk, and opened a page.

“You bastard...” she muttered when she noticed the smirk on his face.

“Twentieth of the Horsebow Moon, 1181... Ah, your birthday, was it not?” Byleth started to shake as Hubert started to read aloud from the page. “The kid seems awfully happy today... Then I noticed that she was wearing a broach which that Riegan kid had bought for her. It had a little golden deer on it. She loves the kids of that class she teaches so no wonder she’s happy. But I’m a bit unsure on how to feel about that Riegan kid. He is always following Byleth from a distance, never taking an eye off her... I’m worried he’s going to try and use her. He has an ulterior motive. His fake smile makes me certain.”

Byleth bit her lip as Hubert read from the page, but she shook her head. _Her father couldn’t have thought that! Hubert had faked that entry, he was trying to turn her against Claude!_

Hubert proceeded to close the journal, and place it back down on the desk as he took a seat. The fact that he was doing everything in his power to make her break was frustrating, but she knew that she had to hold on... She would be free sooner or later.

“I also feel that I should mention that you have been placed under my watch. We shall be seeing quite a lot of each other from now on, Professor. It is the entire reason why you are in my room at present. However, I believe that a few... rules are to be set down, if you wish for those ropes around your ankle to be removed.”

Byleth snorted. “I'd much rather die.”

“Then isn’t it fortunate for me that Lady Edelgard wishes for you to be kept alive.”

After that, Byleth felt chills run down her spine as Hubert approached her, his face becoming clearer than it had been now that he was stood in the moonlight. She tried to back away from him, but the rope around her ankle kept her from going too far.

He then grabbed hold of her wrists, making her shout out in pain as his gloved fingers pressed against her burns. She did her best to fight him off, but was unsuccessful. She found herself pinned down against the sheets.

“The more you struggle, the longer it will take for that rope to come off, and for me to let go of your arms. So how about we have a little cooperation, hmm?”

This was the closest Hubert had been to her ever since he stepped into the room, and straight away, she started looking for opportunities.

She could knee him between the legs, and snatch the dagger he had on his belt as he writhed in pain to free her leg and escape. She also could bite if he got close enough to her... or better yet, she could do her original kneeing plan, but instead of freeing her leg, she could stab him in the chest before making her escape.

Hubert quickly figured that she was plotting escape attempts, so he released her burned arm, and instead moved his hand to behind her head. His fingers tangled between the pale green strands of hair, before tightening his grasp. She gritted her teeth at the pain, but did her best not to let him see any other weaknesses.

“What is the matter, Byleth? Does that hurt? To think, if you hadn’t hidden away for five long years, we may not have had to resort to this.”

She wanted to shout that she hadn’t been hiding, but frustratingly, she had no power at all in this situation. Shouting would make her situation worse.

“Now... what was I- Ah, yes... As you are under _my_ watch, you must obey _my _rules.” Hubert then laughed menacingly as he watched Byleth struggle to escape his grasp, but quickly give up. “The first is that you must do anything I say. That includes answering any questions I may have.”

Byleth refused to respond, but he did see her clench her fist.

“Second, whenever Lady Edelgard visits, you must give her the respect she deserves as the Empress, and future ruler of all of Fódlan. Third, Linhardt will be visiting to tend to your burns. Harm him, or manipulate him into letting you leave, there will be consequences.” Hubert then frowned when he realised that Byleth was now refusing to listen to him. Fortunately, the fourth rule would likely get her attention. He released her, and stood up straight before pointing towards one of the shut doors. “Number four... You will not go through that door. If you are seen outside without me or Lady Edelgard, you will be returned by the guards. If Lady Edelgard believes she is being agreeable, there is the possibility you may be permitted to leave the room to visit Lady Rhea in the depths of the castle.”

Byleth froze then. Rhea was alive?! She hadn’t been sure of whether the members of the Church were right to believe she was alive, but Hubert had proven to her that they had been right to think so.

“Now, that seemed to catch you attention, didn’t it?” Hubert laughed once more before taking hold of her dagger from his desk, and holding it up.

Byleth pulled herself back up then, her hair looking dishevelled due to his previous handling of her. “Let me see her. Now.”

“You are not in the position to be making demands of me, Byleth Eisner,” he muttered, using the tip of the dagger to lift her chin up. “I would need a very good reason to trust you before I consider such a thing. I am honestly debating whether I should even free your ankle from that rope right now.”

Byleth _knew _that she needed to talk to Rhea, but her current predicament would make that hard... So she bit her lip, one thought in her mind.

_What would Claude do in this sort of situation?_

“Well? Do you have a reason?”

“I- I will... I'll do anything you say. And... And I'll tell you the Alliance's plans for invading Enbarr...”

_She hoped Claude could forgive her after all this._


	4. The depths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth gets what she asked for, and is permitted to visit Rhea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very much in the swing of things for this fic at the moment, so there may be a few more updates over the next few days???

Byleth's shoulders were low as she was led down a dark stairwell in Enbarr's imperial castle. The stone steps were colder than Faerghus in the middle of winter, made worse by the fact that she did not have her boots.

Every once in a while, she would feel the point of a guard's weapon against her back, forcing her to keep moving. Sometimes, to get a rise of laughter from their allies, they would even poke at her burned hand with their weapons, which clearly annoyed Hubert, who was leading her down the stairs.

One time when they poked at her, she stopped where she was, relieved for her divine pulse ability, as she turned around and landed a punch with her unbandaged hand square in the face. There was a lot of shouting, and the last thing she recalled before rewinding time by a few seconds was a flurry of weapons intending to kill her.

She had ended up returning to the point where she had stopped walking, though this time, she didn’t lash out.

“Keep moving, prisoner!”

“Yeah, keep moving or we'll poke at you even more!”

Byleth gritted her teeth, but her jaw loosened when she watched Hubert raise one of his arms before snapping his fingers. The two soldiers who had shouted at her ended up in a large blast of dark magic. He then turned and grabbed hold of her arm, and continued pulling her down the stairs as the guards panicked at the sight of their now dying colleagues.

“They deserved what they got. Lady Edelgard was planning on dismissing them anyway. They needed one more strike on their records, and their treatment of you was more than enough.”

Byleth slowly nodded, not out of fear of Hubert, but fear that if Claude became reckless if he tried to get her back (she hoped that he wouldn’t do that though – the safety of all the people of Fódlan was much more important than her own) he could be killed just as quickly.

“Hmph. We have arrived. Behind this door is where Rhea is being held.”

“It’s... unguarded.”

“Nobody but the Black Eagle Strike Force knows she is here. And now you. No need to guard if nobody is aware of her presence. We do have failsafes in place for if people do become aware, however.”

“Then... can I...?”

“Yes. But know I will be present too. Then when you are done, you shall be meeting with Lady Edelgard to disclose those plans of _his _that you spoke of.” Hubert then sighed, hating having to deal with Rhea. For the past five years, she had avoided any and all questions. She only spoke when it was anyone but the former Black Eagle students, and yelled if it was Edelgard who visited her.

_But now that the Empire had Byleth, the one she seemed to treat as the only thing that mattered during her five long years of isolation? Perhaps now, things could run in their favour._

When the door opened, Byleth had to shield her eyes briefly. Though the chamber Rhea was being held in was deep underground the room was awfully bright. It looked almost like a cathedral met some form of underground shelter.

“Rhea. You have a visitor. You’re fortunate that Lady Edelgard permitted this, she was most unhappy with your behaviour this afternoon.” Hubert then sighed as he gestured for Byleth to step inside. The former professor sighed when she realised that he wasn’t going to budge until she had gone inside.

She then took a few steps forward, and bit her lip when she saw the normally tall, proud Rhea on her knees in the centre of the room. She had been stripped of all her typical ceremonial garb, and was now in a tattered white dress.

“Rhea...” Byleth whispered her name, and took another few steps, her feet still feeling the chill of the floor. The Archbishop lifted her head slightly, her eyes widening when she saw Byleth standing there.

“Professor...? Could it really be...?” She then began to glare at Hubert. “_You, _how _dare _you try to trick me-!”

“Rhea, Hubert isn’t trying to fool you...” Byleth then held her hand against her face, and sighed. “I... was foolish. Fell into a trap, and was brought here...” she then crouched down in front of Rhea, who was trembling at she remained glaring at Hubert. “But I promise, I’m real.”

“No... no, the Professor died... she fell off a cliff...”

“Rhea. I didn’t die... I... I think I slept. I remember falling, then waking up as Sothis nagged and nagged at me to wake up.” Byleth closed her eyes, and pursed her lips together. “I returned to Garreg Mach and five years had passed. Claude was the only one there... But he had grown up so much, yet I looked nothing different...”

Hubert began to frown as he heard Byleth talk about Claude. He wished he could make her forget about him, but he knew no magic which could carry out such a task. _They _possibly possessed such a spell, but he would not use their magic upon Byleth.

“The... the other Golden Deer students returned too. Because we promised each other to reunite at the millennium festival. And then... Seteth, Flayn and other Church followers returned, thanks to Flayn letting them know of the promise...” By that point, Rhea had calmed down, and returned to looking at the ground. “The Church hasn’t given up looking for you.”

The room was once more shrouded in a tense silence, which was when Byleth noticed that Rhea’s fingers were digging into her legs as though she were angry. “Professor, I...” She then slowly stood up, and looked down at where Byleth was still crouched. “I could not protect you… And now you are here, in the hands of the empire… You will only be used as a weapon, so...”

Hubert frowned as he watched Rhea’s body language from a distance, as he was unable to hear her voice as her words had come out as whispers. But he could see that, despite the five years she had been here, and left to grow weak… She still had fight left within her.

Just in case, he prepared to cast the very spell he had used that afternoon on Byleth, to render Rhea unconscious for a while.

“What do you mean, I will ‘_only be used as a weapo_n’?” Byleth was now stood up, doing her best to make eye-contact with Rhea, but realised that the Archbishop was staring at her chest, where her unbeating heart rested. “… Is this to do with why my heart doesn’t beat?”

Rhea slowly nodded. “My dear child… your heart has never beat. You were not alive when you were born. But I saved you… I gave you your life… And it saddens me that I now have to take it away.”


	5. Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth is left in a bad state, and Hubert is disappointed in himself for letting that happen.
> 
> Claude is feeling down, and Dimitri decides to give him a talking to.

Hubert felt disappointed. It was not a feeling aimed at another though, it was nothing but his own shame.

He had been prepared to incapacitate Rhea for if she were to step out of line, but he had not been expecting the imprisoned archbishop to hit Byleth’s chest using her bare hand, with enough ferocity and power to render the former professor unconscious as her head hit the ground. It was only once that had happened he had cast his spell to send Rhea into a deep, nightmare-plagued slumber.

All his life he had heard that Rhea had been capable in a fist fight, but he had pushed it off as rumour. The woman had mostly held back from combat when he had seen her, and when she did fight, she used a sword. Clearly, he should have listened.

After he knew Rhea was down for the count, he recovered Byleth from the floor and carried her away to his room once more. He decided there and then that unless Lady Edelgard requested it, he would _not _let Byleth anywhere near Rhea again, even if she begged and pleaded.

Once he lay Byleth down on the bedsheets, he sought out the nearest guard and demanded that both Linhardt and Edelgard be asked to meet him in there.

After that... he was alone with his thoughts. Rhea had seemed awfully intentional when she aimed at Byleth’s chest. Why, he could already see a deep bruise forming on her skin above where her heart would be. Right on a thin, pale scar... A scar which looked so surgically precise, it couldn’t have been one from combat.

Hubert then remembered what he had read when skimming through Jeralt’s diary, which still rested on his desk. It had been one of the first entries, for that matter. He had taken her to a doctor when she was a baby – behind Rhea’s back and against her orders – and he discovered that Byleth had a pulse yet no heartbeat.

_Rhea must __have_ _known the __reason Byleth’s heart didn’t beat then, if she was so insistent of her not being taken to a doctor._

_And clearly Jeralt was a braver man than he had first assumed._

  
  


* * *

* * *

  
  


Claude frowned as he sat on the terrace just outside the Archbishop’s room at Garreg Mach. Set out before him was the Sword of the Creator, absent of its wielder. He had refused to part with the sword since Dimitri had appeared with it in his hands, bearing the news of Byleth’s capture by the Empire.

He appreciated the fact that he could get just a few moments of peace where he was – it was rare that anyone came up to this floor of the monastery at present, aside from Cyril, and Seteth and Flayn on occasion. He had grew sick and tired of the half-hearted sympathy he was receiving from a vast majority of people, mostly because it reminded him that his plans for the battle at Gronder had well and truly fallen apart once the fires started. Had they not started, Byleth would not have ventured further into the battlefield.

He had zero contingencies for if fire were to appear.

_Now he knew he would have to take fire into account for any future battles…_

He buried his head in his hands then, in an attempt to hide the sting of tears forming in the corner of his eyes from the non-existent people around him. He felt ashamed that something so simple as Byleth not being there once more was enough to break him and shatter his confidence.

_But it wasn’t that simple though, was it?_

He relied on Byleth so heavily, he felt ashamed to admit it. He had missed her desperately after she fell into her five year slumber, to the point that he realised that his apparent schoolboy crush he had on her may actually have been something a lot more. She had been much more open with emotions too when she returned, to the point that he felt… as though he could spend the rest of his life with her, if she would allow him. Even if it was nothing more than being friends.

But now she was in the hands of the enemy.

Frustratingly, his mind would conjure up images of what the Empire could be doing to her. He had heard of some of the things which had happened beyond the border, and it sent chills down his spine. Torturing for information, imprisonment, and in the case of some nobles and their associates, execution.

But surely if they did anything like that to her, they would hear of it. She was leverage to force the Church to step away from the war, or even to surrender. And even worse, she was leverage for him to surrender himself to the Empire too – something he couldn’t risk when not just the Leicester Alliance was relying on him, but as was the Kingdom whilst Dimitri and his army were in the fold, and Almyra, where he was hopefully soon to take the throne.

“Finally. There you are.”

Claude tensed up when he heard a familiar voice behind him, before a large shadow appeared over where he was sat. The shadow’s shape instantly gave away who it was, so he let out a small huff as he stood up and turned around. “Hey, Dimitri...” He did his best to sound as he normally would, but his words sounded just as down as he felt.

“You’re not going to get her back by sitting around _moping._”

“Yeah. I know that. Just… I should’ve saw it coming! I should’ve known they had something like fire up their sleeves! If I had just known, I would have-!”

“Pathetic. Not everything can be ‘predicted’. Sometimes you just have to _act. _And if you don’t act, she’s going to die and I feel you won’t want her presence to haunt you for every moment you live, asking for her to _avenge her._”

“I know, I know! But if I act wrong, all the efforts to end this war will amount to _nothing!”_

Claude hadn’t been expecting Dimitri to then grab hold of his shoulder, his fingers conveying a strength he had never even felt before that point. “Then you will just have to act _right _then. And if you won’t, I will.”

“What do you mean by that?!”

“Exactly what I said.” Dimitri scoffed, before turning around, a gust of cold air coming from his cloak as he turned around. “I know how you feel, Claude. It is horrific when somebody you care for is snatched away from you. You are fortunate that you have the chance to get her back. I could not get those I lost back. Now I must bear the anguished cries for revenge by their ghosts at all hours, all calling for that woman’s head. Will you let her join those who could not be saved, and only be avenged?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok but if the circumstances surrounding Byleth's heart not beating involved a crest stone being placed in her chest, surely there's gotta be a scar or something, right? ... Right....????


	6. Fading

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bruise on Byleth's chest is fading, and perhaps very slightly, so is her desire to leave. Especially with the possibility of being branded a traitor to the Alliance... a traitor to Claude.

It had taken about a week for the bruise on Byleth’s chest to fade from a deep red and purple to a subdued green and lilac shade. She would wince whenever she exerted herself, not that she would often have the opportunity to. Hubert, in what he said was ‘concern’ (though due to the scepticism she developed when she was still with Claude, she felt inclined to believe otherwise) barely allowed her to leave his room.

For that matter, she had left only once – that was because Edelgard had requested that they both spoke somewhere private regarding two particular issues. One was to do with whether she wished for Rhea to receive punishment for the injuries that had been inflicted, the other was with regard to Claude’s plans, as she had sworn to tell in return for visiting Rhea…

Byleth felt a pit in her stomach telling Edelgard of the vague recollection she had of Claude’s schemes. She knew that if Claude were to ever rescue her, there were the very slight chance that he may allow her to return to the folds of his allies, but not as somebody he could trust… He would _hate _her for it.

_But what choice did she have about spilling his plans? She may have ended up imprisoned like Rhea – maybe even with her – if she had refused…_

There had been one slight benefit to be kept within the same place though… She had grew familiar with the layout and small details of Hubert’s room. She knew that the stacks of books on his desk (other than her father’s journal, which he seemed insistent on not letting her touch it to the point of cursing it) were all textbooks on war tactics, where he would use a quill with red ink to mark out flaws in the methods, and black ink to write his own, ‘improved’ methods.

There were also three doors in the room. One was his bathroom (she had to confess, for someone who was essentially a hostage, the ability to take a long, relaxing bath with bubbles and scented oils made her feel as though she was in the laps of luxury). However, that door did _not _have a lock on it. She… did feel shivers up her spine every once in a while, as though _maybe _Hubert had decided to peer in. Not that she believed he would do such a thing without valid concerns… hopefully.

Another door was one of two which did lock – she had been through it a few times, as it led to the world outside. There was little remarkable about it, other than the horribly loud creaks it would make when opened.

Then… there was the last door. She had no idea what was beyond it, but she believed it to be suspicious. Hubert would occasionally enter the room, and leave with a wide smirk on his face. It was awfully concerning that he would seem so amused after going inside.

Other than that, there were a few little things she had noticed about the room. It was extremely clean – not a cobweb or spec of dust could be found anywhere. Only one piece of furniture was not black or a deep brown colour – an armchair in the corner, which seemed to be adorned in some sort of red velvet-like material. The bookshelf spanned from floor to ceiling, and was filled with a mass of non-fiction, a splash of fiction thrown in there every once in a while.

She was surprised that she actually found it… comfortable.

But then again, Hubert was Edelgard’s closest aide. She would likely reprimand him if he made himself live in squalor so that she could achieve only the best.

Byleth decided that she needed to instead make herself comfortable more than she had done… She still felt terrible for betraying Claude by giving away what she knew of his plans, so she could at least compensate by getting the trust of those who were holding her here, so that she could attempt to redeem herself in the eyes of her former students. If she were to be forbidden from returning to where she was… she supposed that she would find solace in the pain if she could be permitted to remain here.

Before she could think of things to do though, the door leading to the outside world opened and a tired Hubert walked inside, followed by Edelgard.

That could… not have been a good sign.

“As expected, Lady Edelgard… She is awake. Would you like to ask her your questions?”

“Please do not be so impatient, Hubert. May I have some privacy with her for a few minutes?” Byleth was unsure about what the two were discussing, but based on the fact that Hubert tensed up before nodding and leaving was enough to make her feel concern. “Thank you, Hubert...”

Once the door was shut, and promptly locked, Byleth felt the urge to bite her lip. She had never wanted to do that before, so perhaps… that was to do with the emotions she was still trying to grow used to using.

“Professor… May I ask how your chest is healing?” was Edelgard’s first question, before she caught sight of the pale colours still covering her skin. “Are you still sure of Rhea not receiving punishment for her assault?”

“It… does still hurt, and I am sure of it… I believe she was persuaded that Hubert was playing mind tricks on her,” Byleth muttered, her eyes looking at anywhere but the former student-turned-emperor. “I don’t hold it against her, even if it does cause me pain when I exert myself.”

Edelgard simply nodded, before glancing around. “Are you adjusting well to residing here, in Hubert’s room?”

“… I don’t know. I would much rather still be at Garreg Mach. Everything of mine aside from my father’s diary is there… Including my friends and allies...”

“I know that being kept apart from them is painful, but please believe me that there is a good reason why we are keeping you here.”

“How can I believe you when I don’t know what this reason is? For all I know, you could be holding me as bait to stop Claude and the Church from advancing further into the Empire’s territory… Not that I do not want to trust you and Hubert, but after what happened when you first became Emperor, I feel the need to be wary...”

The silence from Edelgard spoke a thousand words as she turned around, before there was a small sigh. “You will likely not trust me if I were to say that we are wishing to keep you safe, and free you from a life of battle and bloodshed, with that being all you were exposed to before you became a Professor, and even once you took on the role… But when I say that is our main desire for you being here, I mean it. If there is anything I should be able to do for you...” Byleth’s eyes widened when she saw Edelgard hold out her hand despite her back being turned, and the Crest of Flames emerged. “It should be allow you to be free from the burdens this crest holds.”


	7. Hope lost in the rubble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth feels broken when she hears of the events which transpired at Fort Merceus.

Byleth felt as though her world had shattered. As she had informed Edelgard, the Alliance army marched on Fort Merceus. From what she was aware of, Caspar and Linhardt had been sent there with many forces to tackle them head-on.

Only those two had returned from all of the people sent.

Massive pillars of light had fallen down onto the fort. For that matter, there was no longer a fort... there was apparently an excessively large crater where the fort should have been.

The Alliance army was presumed dead as a result of that attack. And so was Claude.

All of her former students... Seteth, Flayn, and everyone else from the Church... they were _gone._

To think... she would be the last living of all of her precious Golden Deer... And all because Hubert had snatched her away during the fires of Gronder Field.

In a way, she owed Hubert her life... He could have killed her when she fell into his trap at Gronder

But he didn’t.

He could have left her with the Alliance army, or maybe she could have killed him, meaning that she would have died that morning.

But he didn’t.

He could even have left her at the whims of Rhea when she attacked her, allowing the imprisoned Archbishop to kill her.

But. He. Didn’t.

The only reason she was alive right now was Hubert. The very man who had many times claimed that he would kill her if he needed to... But had never once tried.

“Professor… I can not say that I understand what you are going through, but know that this was not something the Empire orchestrated. We would not carry out an attack so deadly to the point it wipes out over a third of our own forces.” And of course, Hubert was trying to distract her from her mourning. “But I suppose you may not believe me. We injured our own forces at Gronder, after all.”

Byleth tensed at the mention of the battle at Gronder Field, but did her best not to show her dislike of that battle. She just… wanted to be left alone to grieve. All those close to her were gone now…

Eventually though, when she heard Hubert sit at his desk and start reading through a book, she dug her fingers into her thighs and took a deep breath. “Don’t get angry at my pessimism… But… I want to see the fort. I… want to see for myself...” She held her breath for a moment, and was met with the sound of Hubert turning his page. “_Please...”_

The silence continued, Byleth now beginning to feel what she believed was frustration as Hubert turned his page once more. However, she watched as he inserted a folded sheet of paper between the pages, place the closed book down onto the desk, and brought his hand to his chin. “I believe I would have to be convinced to take you to what was once Fort Merceus. Lady Edelgard too, for that matter. She has stated on many occasions that you will be safest here, in Enbarr.”

“… But what if they survived…?”

“Nobody could have survived.”

“Caspar and Linhardt survived.”

“Yes, barely, but they were-” Hubert sighed, knowing that Byleth was trying to persuade herself that her former allies potentially could have lived. In turn meaning that the only way she would be persuaded that they are dead was to go there. “Fine. Allow me to discuss the matter with Lady Edelgard. If she says no, however, you will lay this matter to rest.”

  
  


* * *

* * *

  
  


Hubert wished that Byleth had believed him when he said that the Alliance and Church army fell at Fort Merceus. Yet here they were now, the former professor on her knees on the ground, sobbing at the sight before her.

After Edelgard had permitted for him to escort her to the ruined fort, even he had been in shock at the destruction present. Almost everything in sight was in ruins, or charred. Nobody within the fort could have survived unless they ran as soon as the pillars of light had emerged… Caspar and Linhardt were awfully lucky to survive, but considering that they were both in dreadful states…

After approximately ten minutes of looking around though, Byleth had spotted something familiar in the scorched rubble. A yellow piece of fabric, bearing the emblem of the Leicester Alliance, the edges frayed, burned, and blood-tinged. The very one that Claude would wear over his shoulder.

“Claude...” Her voice came out as a quiet whimper as she pulled the fabric out from under some rocks, before bringing it close to her chest. “_Claude!” _

He had heard her sob so loudly, so painfully when her father had died… But nothing sounded as pained as her sobs over the late Duke Riegan.

“Professor...”

“He’s gone, he- he-!”

Hubert didn’t like the feeling of… _helplessness _he was experiencing, seeing Byleth on the floor, in hysterics over what was unfortunately the reality of war. “Byleth. Clearly you are feeling overwhelmed here… We must return to Enbarr.”

Byleth remained silent aside from her sobs, and continued to hold the tattered fabric against her chest. Soon enough, sobs turned to hiccups as she rose to her feet. “O… Okay… I don’t want to find a… anything else which belongs to...” And before she could continue, a hint of blue caught her attention, which sent her stumbling towards the ground again. Fortunately, Hubert caught her as he realised what she could see.

The cloak of the Boar King of Faerghus was also discarded amongst the rubble.

“Byleth. We must go...” Without giving her the chance to look around further, and see the other scattered remnants of her former students amongst the ruins, he cast a spell to return them both to the palace in Enbarr. She remained clinging onto the fabric as though her life depended on it even once he released his grasp of her.

  
  


From a distance, there were two people looking at the ruins of Fort Merceus in confusion.

“There was definitely some dark magic used just then, wasn’t there?” Ingrid frowned, petting her pegasus as she landed on the ground and brought her hand to her chin. “For that matter, I could have sworn that there were two people where the magic was…”

Hilda nodded in agreement, and sighed as she dismounted. “I can’t tell if I was being hopeful, but I was certain that I saw the Professor there...”

“No, it was not just you, Hilda. I am sure that she was there… Not many people in Fódlan have hair that shade of green. We need to report this to His Majesty and Claude.”

“Yeah… I’ll let you do-” Hilda stopped mid-sentence when she received a harsh glare. “_We _will do that…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very much in the swing of things for this fic at the moment, so there is a possibility for another update today...


	8. Favour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hubert asks Byleth for a favour as she does her best to cope with her grief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so cold at the moment, temperatures have suddenly reached the negative figures and I am not happy as I write this under a mass of blankets, longing to hibernate for the winter.

“I am surprised at how… _awfully _happy I feel to see you finally eating once more, Byleth,” Hubert muttered, watching as Byleth slowly tore a small piece of cake off the slice she had in front of her, before bringing it to her mouth. “You should not allow your grief to stop you from taking care of yourself.”

Byleth blinked slowly, a weak smile forming on her strained face as she looked over at him. “It’s hard… But I owe it to you for me being alive at the moment… I should at least try to look after myself...” She then bit into more cake, and sighed. “If you didn’t bring me here after Gronder...” She started stretching her wrist where burns were beginning to leave pale scars behind. “I would have died at Fort Merceus with everyone else...”

There was a somewhat awkward silence then, Byleth not wanting to talk after confessing that she believed she owed Hubert her life, and Hubert not talking as he was in shock over what she had said. But… she believed that she owed him.

“If… If you ever feel that I need to repay you for-” Byleth stopped herself from speaking, but realised that she already had Hubert’s attention, and had to finish what she started. “If you ever need me to repay that debt…”

Hubert contemplated what Byleth said, before shaking his head. “Lady Edelgard has given strict orders for you to have space to grieve. Repayment of debt shall come afterwards, I assure you,” he began, before a smirk came to his face. “Though perhaps you may indulge one request, Professor… May you please take a bath? I apologise for my bluntness, but you smell horrific.”

For the first time in over a week, Byleth laughed. It was quiet, and brief, but still a laugh.

“Okay, I will… But what about my…?”

“I can arrange for clean clothes for once you are finished.”

“Thank you...”

Carefully, she discarded the plate her cake had been on beside her on the bed (making Hubert tut at the crumbs getting across his sheets) before giving him a faint smile as she slipped into the bathroom. Once he heard the sound of running water, he went to clean up and to request for clean clothes for her.

What Hubert had not taken into account was that Byleth was an efficient woman. When she was intending to simply just clean herself, and not relax, she could be done within five minutes, if that. Her upbringing as a mercenary on the road had instilled that in her, after all. She needed to be quick.

He returned to his room just to witness Byleth combing through her damp hair with her fingers... and nothing at all covering her body. He saw perhaps more than he had ever intended to that day.

“Byleth, could you _please _use a blanket or towel to- to cover yourself up? It will be a while before your will have any clothes prepared... This is wholly indecent.”

“Oh... Oh. I almost forgot that this wasn’t my own room...”

“Ideally _now, _Byleth?”

“Oh, um. Yeah... Cover your eyes for a second?”

Not that he hadn’t already bore witness to her bare body in those moments she had been muttering, Hubert used his hands to cover his eyes, giving off a frustrated tutting noise to indicate that he wasn’t happy.

“Okay, I’m... as covered as I can be for now...”

Hubert instantly regretted uncovering his eyes. He was also beginning to regret so much of his belongings – in particular the towels – being coloured black. It was far too small to cover her properly too, meaning that it did not take much for his mind to fill in the blanks based on what he saw moments earlier.

“Well... please do not do that again. You are no longer at Garreg Mach. These are my rooms, and I would prefer... not to have to see that unless I say otherwise.”

The pair were caught in a horribly awkward silence then, Byleth not wanting to talk as she knew that Hubert seemed to be awfully unhappy with her current state of dress, whilst Hubert was trying to do anything but make contact with her until she was wearing proper clothes.

After another ten minutes, the silence was broken by a quiet noise coming from Byleth. Hubert hadn’t even realised that she had fallen asleep on his bed until he went to lecture her about making such strange noises. With a sigh, he shifted the bed sheets from underneath her to over her, so that she wouldn’t get a chill.

Byleth remained sleeping for the remainder of the afternoon, which Hubert was quite relieved about. She had barely been sleeping as she grieved over her fallen former students, so it was good to see her resting and not straining herself. However, there was a point where her sleeping became restless.

“No...” The quiet whimper caught Hubert’s attention, and unlike when he had heard people say such a thing in the past (usually as a result of torture at his hands), that had actually tugged at his heartstrings a little. “P- Please...”

Silently, he got up from where he was writing a report at his desk, and made his way over to the bed to try and shake her awake. “Byleth.” Despite that, she remained asleep. “Byleth, wake up.” When he realised that she wouldn’t wake up that way though, he sighed and snapped his fingers.

Byleth quietly shrieked as she felt a sharp chill up her spine, her eyes open wide. “Wh- What?”

“You weren’t waking up from what I could only assume was a nightmare.”

She was quiet for a moment, before Hubert’s hand felt… warm. Warm in a familiar and comfortable, yet also unfamiliar way. Byleth had reached out and grabbed hold of him. “… Stay here until I fall asleep again…?”

“… Fine. But I must get back to what I was doing soon, so please fall asleep quickly.”

A weak smile formed on Byleth’s face. “I’ll try… Thank you...”

And so, Hubert was sat on his bed, with Byleth holding onto his hand as though her life depended on it, waiting for her to fall asleep. Sitting on his bed eventually turned into him lying down on the bed. And lying turned into sleeping.

Tiredly, Byleth shifted the bedsheets slightly to also cover Hubert, before finally, she fell asleep too – fortunately not to experience any nightmares this time around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I die from the cold I'm starting to write some spicy stuff for the next chapter~~~


	9. Racing hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hubert gets in for a shock when he wakes up.

Hubert woke up feeling surprisingly pleasant when the morning arrived. He had, for once, had a full night of sleep, and… His happy mood suddenly grew tense when he felt something warm against his chest. His tension then turned into all sorts of frantic and panicked emotions – much to his disbelief, as such feelings were extremely unfamiliar to him – when he saw Byleth pressed against him.

He gulped silently when he realised that she had essentially wrapped herself around him at some point at night, at the sacrifice of the towel which had been around her following her bath the previous afternoon. And his _heart, _it was racing faster than it ever had done. His face was heated and-

“Ah… Mornin’...” Byleth mumbled against his chest, her eyes open slightly as she looked up at him.

_That face was making the feelings worse, and Hubert could _ _ **not ** _ _tell if he hated it or was enjoying it._

“I… Yes, g- good morning, Byleth… You appear to have, somehow… attached yourself to me as you slept...”

It was once he spoke that she moved her arm to rub her eyes, before she sat up and tilted her head slightly. “Hubert, do you have a fever? Your face looks hot and you’re covered in sweat...” She then leaned in, and pressed her cold palm to his forehead. “You feel hot too-!” She was cut off by Hubert grabbing hold of her wrists, and pinning her down onto the bed.

“You are _awfully _naive, Byleth.”

Her mouth opened wide in shock, before it turned into a pout. “Naive?! I am not-!” She was stopped from speaking when her lips were captured by his, his fingers digging into her wrists. “H- Hubert...”

“Could you not tell what you were doing to me? Honestly? Byleth...” He released her arms so that he could remove the gloves he had forgotten to take of the day before, before surprising Byleth with his finger gently stroking against her cheek. “Since I brought you here, you have done all sorts of little things which have made me feel unusual. From the way you would curl up on the seat across the room reading a book, the way you would talk to me about your past, and how open you have been about what you think and feel.”

Byleth’s eyes were wide in shock, still slightly stunned by the kiss previously.

“And then there was _yesterday. _You had no shame at all in just standing there after your bath, without any clothes. And then you managed to persuade me to hold your hand and fall asleep with you… Leading to me waking up with you bare, yet wrapped around me… Do you have any idea what such _innocent _actions do to someone like _me_, who lives only to taint? To corrupt?”

Finally, Byleth smiled as she placed her hand against his cheek, and pulled him down for another kiss – an action which was reciprocated.

Hubert decided there and then that he was enjoying the erratic feelings which were making his body feel hot and his heart race.

“You say that you live to corrupt, but… I don’t see it as that,” she whispered, stroking at his cheek for a moment, before moving her hand upward to move his hair away from his eyes. “You live to be loyal. I’ve seen ever since you brought me here that everything you do is because of your loyalty. You serve Edelgard and are proud of it… And… You’ve gone above and beyond for me, even though I am, for all intents and purposes, your enemy... Even to the point that you gave me time to mourn those who stand against you...”

“You are not my enemy, Byleth. You have never been. You have just happened to be… at the wrong places at the wrong time. And now you are where you belong – in the safety of those who would not exploit you for your crest and powers. With those who will treat you as the human you so rightly are.”

“Hubert...” She didn’t even realise it, but tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. Hubert, however, had noticed it and gently ran his thumbs over her eyes to wipe them away. Just something as simple as that made her unbeating heart feel as though it were racing. Nobody else had done something like that when she had cried in the past. Even as she mourned the passing of her father, not once did Claude – the one who had held her affections for so long – offer to wipe her tears, he just wanted to snoop around in her father’s journal. When she returned from her five year absence, Seteth did not give her support – he just thrust her into a position of seniority in an organisation that she was mostly unfamiliar with and, frankly, did not trust too well. But Hubert… He had. “I- I love you.”

Clearly, Hubert had not been expecting those words to come from her, but despite that, he was not shocked. No, it instead made him realise what the strange flurry of emotions he was experiencing was. “Then I suppose that I must respond in turn, as I feel similar. I… love you too, Byleth.”

Once more, the two kissed, however they did not part as quickly as they had done the other few times. Instead, Byleth moved her arms so that they were around his neck. Hubert hesitated touching her for a moment, remembering that she was still completely bare underneath him, before making his mind up on resting his hands on her hips.

As he had discarded his gloves a few minutes earlier, he was quite surprised as he felt her skin against his fingers. He had seen the many scars which marred her skin, but never knew that he could feel so… overwhelmed as he felt them. Her skin would go from soft to rough as he moved the pads of his fingers over the marks. He could feel a growing desire to not allow any more of those marks of battle and war to form on her skin… He would much prefer to mark her skin in a way that she would be reminded of him and this moment over the events of battles in the past.

He moved his head slightly to the side, so that his lips were against the sensitive patch of skin where her jaw joined her throat. Silently, he kissed at her skin, before scraping his teeth against the pale red mark, then kissed it again.

The quiet moan which escaped her lips as he did such a simple action made his veins throb and his blood race around his body.

He wanted to leave more of his own marks on her exposed skin, if it would mean that he could hear that lustful noise come from her again.

Sadly, he had no opportunity to do no such thing. There had been a knock on his door, and a servant was calling for him, saying that his presence was needed by the Emperor. A request which, much to his chagrin, he could not refuse.

“Byleth. Will you wait for me? I shall return as soon as I am able.”

“I… I’ll be waiting...” He pulled himself off the bed as Byleth sat up, her hand against the reddened patch on her throat. The flush on her cheeks as she pressed into the mark slightly made the disturbance feel worthwhile, as it was providing him the opportunity to plan what he could do to her to make her blush like that upon his return.

Once outside the room, he proceeded to lock the door and walk to the throne room as the servant explained as to why he was needed by Edelgard. However, his pace grew to a halt when he was asked a question.

“Also, you requested for fresh clothes for your guest yesterday. They are almost prepared, and should be ready for this evening. When would you like them to be brought to your quarters?”

A sly smirk formed on his face. “Do not bring them to my quarters… Bring them to me upon them being prepared. I do not wish for her to be provided them when I am not present, understand?”

“Yes, Lord Vestra… I will pass your message on to the seamstresses.”

Finally, he was left alone as he walked, and he let out a deep chuckle. Byleth could survive for a few hours without some clothes, it would make resuming where they were up to quite easy. And speaking of where they were up to…

_He had forgotten to put his gloves back on as he left._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun, they have confessed! But will they actually be able to continue their intimate moment?!
> 
> <strike>Hint: they will but maybe not in the way Hubert is planning</strike>


	10. Change in position (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caspar, still wounded from the events at Merceus, has something to say.
> 
> At the same time, two problems arise... One at the gates of Enbarr, the other within the Imperial Palace itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot happens in this chapter... The next chapter is where all of this chapter's build-up gets exciting though-!

“Caspar, please be careful… You barely survived your injuries, and you are here against the orders of our healers. If you feel unwell or faint at any point, please say so and I shall escort you back to the infirmary to rest...” Hubert had never seen Edelgard look so distressed at somebody in such a bad state before, but he knew that seeing people on the verge of death was not… unfamiliar to her. In particular with those she considered family. Despite her worry though, Caspar managed to force a smile onto his face.

“Heh… I’m… I’m doing much better th-than...” He pressed a bandaged arm against his chest for a moment, as he took a deep breath in. “Than Lin...” Hubert frowned, and crossed his arms. It was true that Linhardt had been left much worse off from the attack at Fort Merceus, but he had taken it in his stride and used it as an opportunity to do nothing but sleep and read as he recovered.

The attack had left an awfully bitter taste in everyone’s mouths. _Especially _for Edelgard, knowing that her own uncle and those wretched followers of his had been responsible for the attack.

_And obviously Byleth, but he knew he had to keep her out of his mind whilst he was in front of his emperor._

Eventually, Hubert had enough of the pained grin. “That is not something to smile about, Caspar, especially when your emperor is concerned about your health. Now, can you explain what this meeting is about before you kill yourself with your recklessness?”

Caspar winced as he looked at Hubert, a scarring gash across his face which had been hidden by the shadows becoming visible. “Tr- trust me, I’m not wanting to smile… I just am so that I-I don’t worry everyone… Especially P-Petra...” But then, he shakily sighed and took a deep breath. “I’ll… keep what I need to say qu-quick...” There was another large inhale, followed by a groan and an exhale. “Claude’s army… they didn’t die… at Merceus.”

  
  


* * *

* * *

  
  


“Enbarr...” It was clear that Claude was unhappy as he glared at the gates to the empire’s capital, based on the way that he was clenching his fists and refusing to let anyone give any form of reassurances to him. Originally, he had one purpose, and one purpose alone. He was to create peace in Fódlan, so that he could return to Almyra and forge a greater peace between the two countries. A complex purpose, but one he could achieve holding the positions of Duke Riegan of the Leicester Alliance and Prince of Almyra.

Now, he had a second purpose. To recover Byleth. He had initially feared following her being taken by Hubert that she would be used as bait to lure him in, and to destroy the Alliance and Church all at once, leaving a kingdom with a one-track king to fend for those who needed protecting from the Empire. Basically, allowing the entire country to fall to its knees at Edelgard’s feet. But after stern words from Dimitri, almost ending with a fist-fight, he knew that he had to get her back… Death be damned.

_And then there was the report from Ingrid and Hilda after the battle at Fort Merceus._

They had been scouting to see if there were any survivors, and in the process saw two people. One was Hubert. The other was Byleth. Based on what they saw, as there was no way they could have reached her on time, he was stood over her as she was on her knees on the ground. From that, Claude had inferred two things – Hubert had control over everything she did and everywhere that she went… And he had persuaded her that they were all dead.

“Soon this damned war will be over… Their cries will be appeased, and the Professor will be saved...”

Silently, Claude looked to his left and saw Dimitri with his arms folded over and a scowl on his face. He couldn’t read his expression fully though, as he could only see the eye-patch which covered what was presumably an injury to his eye.

“Yeah. You lose your ghosts… And Teach...” He was thankful for his gloves, as he knew that if he didn’t wear them he would already be drawing blood. “And teach will be back where she belongs.”

There was a loud cough behind the pair though, making them both turn around. “Claude, previous scouting reports stated that many of the Empire’s forces were patrolling the city… Between then and now, they have all disappeared. As though they have been called to attend something. Enbarr… is unguarded,” Seteth explained, his face showing nothing but suspicion as he eyed up the Imperial Palace in the distance. “We should be careful as we advance.”

“Agreed...”

“Hmph. As long as we end this with her head torn from her body, I don’t care how we advance.”

  
  


* * *

* * *

  
  


Byleth had been quite flustered ever since Hubert and his… actions earlier. She didn’t realise at first how he felt about how she had been acting, despite it being all she could really do based on her restrictions at present. That, and she was quite… happy about a break from thinking about-

_Oh. Yeah. Claude and all of her former students – no, friends – were dead._

She bit her lip as she pulled the blankets around herself, taking in the slight smell on the sheets which reminded her of Hubert. It was one of the few things which brought her comfort whilst things were so… so gloomy.

She hadn’t felt like this before… But at the same time, it reminded her of a time where things were simpler. When she was still a mercenary, and camping out at night. She may not have been emotional at the point, but she remembered the feeling of staring up at the skies as she lay next to her father, before she would tire out, feel him embrace her, and whisper “_Good night, kid. You rest up. You deserve it.”_

She… deserved it. She deserved comfort… It’s the least she needed right now, when things were so dark.

Before she could completely wind down to get the comfort which she was wantingthough, she heard shuffling just outside the room. Either Hubert had returned, or somebody was intending to find Hubert. The only people who knew that she was there were the former Black Eagle students who were still alive…

She kept the blankets wrapped around her as she approached the locked door, and pressed her ear against the wood to hear what the people outside were saying.

“Yes… He believes she is here. The other one with the Crest of Flames. The one which holds the crest stone in her chest. That Emperor and her pawn want us to believe she died at Gronder though.”

Straight away, she knew that this was not an ideal situation.

“And the pawn has her locked up in there? To keep her hidden? Hah, it just makes it easier for her to retrieve for Thales!”

"Well we should act quick, before that pawn returns..."

_Then she remembered her father, his body propped up in her arms as he coughed and spluttered, trying to make a coherent sentence. He was dying, and for the first time, she had cried. And Thales was the one who had stopped her from saving him._

Before she could think of what to do, and pull herself out of her memories, there was a loud noise, wood shattering, her body feeling warm in places as she bled… and shadows standing over the place she had crashed down to the ground.

“So he was right… She was here.”


	11. Change in position (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After she is attacked in the supposed safety of Hubert's quarters, Byleth remembers the one thing which could save her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's been almost eight months since I last updated this fic. And I do have a reason... I grew to hate it. 
> 
> Multiple times over these months I have considered orphaning the fic, or just straight up delete it. I just didn't like it, I didn't like how I'd done it, and I just wished I never came up with the idea in the first place. I put that down to the fact that when I write, I tend to be spontaneous. I rarely come up with a solid plot, I go where my mind takes me, and never have things beta-read. This led to me reaching a point where I didn't know where to take this story and hence the dislike that I developed.
> 
> It's only today that I got an idea for this for the first time in a long time, so I do have a little more hope for this. Not much, but a little. I'll try to update where I can, but... I have no promises on when the next one will be. I'm sure that I will grow to like it once more, but it'll just take a bit of time <3
> 
> Anyway! Enough of my rambling about how I feel about this fic, I sincerely hope that you all continue to stick with me for however long it takes for me to finish it. 
> 
> I'll also take now to give a warning for a point in the chapter, in which there is some blood and gore.

Byleth felt chills down her spine as she felt her arms being grabbed hold of, and her body being forced up from the ground.

“Could we not just rip the crest stone out now? All we need is that...”

“Thales has already claimed that honour. He wishes to do it in front of the Emperor, her pawn, and the Archbishop.”

She did her best to pull herself free, but multiple factors stopped her. The destroyed surroundings, her blood loss, and the numbers of them grabbing hold of her being the main factor. Never had she felt as vulnerable as this – without armour _or _clothes as she was kidnapped for a _second _time.

But then, she remembered.

She had her divine pulse power.

Using as much energy she could muster; she reversed the flow of time. She went as far back as she could manage, finding herself at the final moments of the intimate interactions which she had with Hubert that morning.

“Byleth. Will you wait for me? I shall return as soon as I am able,” Hubert inquired, his hand resting against her cheek.

Instead of replying with “_I'll be waiting_,” as she had done the first time around, she shook her head. “Don’t go... _please, _I'll be in danger if you do-!”

She was cut off by another knock at the door. Hubert scowled.

“Be patient! I shall speak with you once I am finished here!” he snapped, before turning back to Byleth. “What do you mean by that?”

“The room will have the door blown up. A-And these people in black, with hook-nosed masks will try to take me to someone who wants to rip the crest stone in my chest out in front of you, Edelgard, and Rhea...” she whispered, grabbing at his shoulders. “Don’t go, or don’t leave me here, Hubert... As much as I miss my friends and family who have died, I don’t want to join them-!”

“Byleth! Calm down,” he moved to pull her up into an upright position, and held her against his chest. “I have many questions about what you have just told me, so I apologise for my suspicions, but how can I believe this?”

“I... I have powers. They are tied to Sothis’ presence within me, and I can reverse the flow of time. I have lived through it already...” she whispered, pointing to a place on the floor near the door. “I heard talking outside the room before the door got blown up. And... I fell down there. I was covered in blood, and they were talking about what someone called Thales wanted to do to me... I had to use the power to bring myself back to now...”

Hubert silently listened, before frowning. “That seems rather... far-fetched, Byleth. How can you prove this to me?” He then looked at the door, before sighing. “It seems that the person trying to disturb me has left.”

Byleth remained silent, and just settled into the warmth of his body as she tried to think of how to prove her powers to him. Then... something came to mind. “When you took me to see Rhea... When those guards were taunting and pushing me... I punched one of them in the face. I used my powers then just to let my anger out before allowing you to deal with them.”

“Interesting... But it still doesn’t prove it to me. As much as the thought is amusing...” Hubert brought a hand to his chin, and shook his head. “Even if you could prove it to yourself, I doubt that you could prove it to me-“

“The mock battles… At the Officer’s Academy. Did you not find it suspicious that I knew the strategies that the Blue Lions and Black Eagles used in each of the mock battles? How the Golden Deer won each and every time without so much as an injury? I went through almost every possible outcome in the battle, and reversed the flow of time if any one of my students got hurt, or if we lost…”

Hubert remained silent as he kept Byleth held against him, noticing how there was now tears slipping down her face. It didn’t take much for him to figure that she was blaming her absence for the deaths of all of her former students _and _the former Blue Lions at Fort Merceus.

He then sighed, and released his hold of her. “I am going to see what the hold up is in your clothes being prepared. It should not take an entire night and half a morning for at least a single outfit to be washed. I expect longer for new clothes, but certainly not for cleaning. When that is done, I shall take you with me to speak with Lady Edelgard about this… situation you claim is to happen soon. If anyone dares enter the room in my absence, remain hidden.”

Byleth nodded, and Hubert released his hold of her before warping away. Before he did check on the status of her clothes, he had to report to Edelgard – if what Byleth was saying was true, then the inevitable betrayal of Those Who Slither in the Dark was coming. And they knew that both bearers of the Crest of Flames were in the same place.

As he arrived in the Throne Room, he was met with Edelgard talking to Caspar who had his arm propped over her shoulders, as he said something… unexpected.

“Claude’s army… they didn’t die… at Merceus.”

Edelgard’s eyes widened, which was when she noticed that Hubert was now present.

“Where have you been, Hubert? We were meant to meet ten minutes ago! Is everything well?” she questioned as Caspar slowly eased his arm away from her so that he could sit down on the floor for a moment. “Has something happened with the Professor?”

Hubert bowed down, before straightening himself out and nodding. “Yes, Lady Edelgard… I must be quick, for she believes that she is in danger. Apparently the betrayal of the Agarthans is set to begin today.”

* * *

* * *

Byleth held her breath as she remained behind the door of the bathroom in Hubert’s quarters. He had taken too long, and as with previously the main door had been attacked by those people seeking her out. She did not want to feel as vulnerable as she had done previously, so she had managed to find where Hubert had hidden her dagger, and had it in her hand as she waited for the inevitable moment that they would open the door and find her. Her other hand was being used to hold a blanket firmly around her body in the absence of clothing.

She was doing her best to control her breathing so that she could remain calm, but the memories of the previous time were still fresh on her mind. She could hear the noise of the door’s destruction, and feel the blood coating her skin.

“Check behind all of the doors! Under the bed too! We know that the Fell Star is here!”

The amount of sweat covering her brow seemed to increase when she heard footsteps before she saw the handle to the bathroom begin to turn downward as somebody opened it. Her hand was shaking as she raised her dagger, ready to plunge it into the chest of whoever was about to enter the room.

Except it stopped.

Then came the sound of screaming and shouting.

The noise of weapons cleaving through flesh made her tense up, as well as the echoing of blood splattering against the door.

Slowly, the door began to open, so Byleth tried to focus on how she was holding her dagger and how quickly she could stab at whoever was coming in. For two moons, she hadn’t been anywhere near to a battlefield or done any sort of fighting, but if things such as this were to continue… She would have to insist that Hubert and Edelgard allowed her to pick up a sword.

Eventually, she realised who – or rather _what _– was pushing the door open. A corpse of one of the attackers, their head almost completely severed from the body.

“Byleth! Are you in there?!”

Upon hearing Hubert’s voice, she lowered the dagger before stepping over the body to enter the main room. She then noticed that the room was filled with bodies, all similar to the first – dead and bloody.

“Professor! You haven’t been wounded, have you?”

She very quickly found Edelgard holding onto the top of her shoulders, giving her a look of concern. She simply shook her head slowly, before turning to face Hubert as the dagger in her hand fell to the floor. “Do… Do you believe me now about what I said…?”

Before anything else could be said between the three, a soldier appeared in the doorway.

“Emperor! Sir Hubert, we have a problem! Enbarr is under attack by a large force consisting of members of the Church of Seiros, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and the Leicester Alliance! They are being led by the supposedly deceased Seteth, Dimitri Blaiddyd, and Claude von Riegan.”

It took a moment for Byleth to process what had just been said, before the shock of that and the state of her surroundings caught up to her. All she managed to do before fainting was whisper a single question.

“Claude…? He’s… alive…?”


End file.
